Method of destructive distillation.



UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WHARTON B. McLAUG-HLIN, 01E NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE McI-AUGHLIN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY.

METHOD OF DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 5, 1907. Serial No. 380,748.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WHARTON B. Mo-

' LAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at New York, county of New ,York, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Destructive Distillation, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is particularly applicable for the purpose of distillation of wood to,

not only increase the yield of the distillate,

but increase and improve thequality of the residium. This is articularly the case where the destructive distillation is of Wood to produce charcoal and by-products- In practice, with my process, applied to the production of charcoal, I have increased the yield of acetate of lime about 65% and increased the yield of the charcoal 30%, and

largely increased its value, more particularly in the manufacture of explosives.

As a. heating medium, I prefer to use steam, which I introduce initially in a superheated condition and reheat said steam between its passages.

I will now describe an apparatus by which my improved process may be carried out.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a horizontal section of apparatus on line 1-1, Fig. 2.

'what I claim and desire through the heater or superheater 6 extends to" the retort and around the same as indicated at The pipe then returns to the heater or superheater b, then back again to and around the interior of the retort. I have shown six sections in the retort, al though a less or greater number may be used, corresponding to the heat units added. The pipe finally, at g, extends beyond the retort and may open directly into the atmosphere or to some point where it may be put to further use. Upon the section g, I prefer to place a pressure valve It so as to control the circulation in the retort.

i is a pipe to lead the vapors to the condenser. v

In practice, the steam which leaves the boiler at a pressure say of 100 pounds, would have a temperature of about 170 centigrade. This should, in the heater, be superheated to say 450 centigrade.

I do not intend to limit myself, except where specifically claimed, to the useof steam, or to a boiler as the means to heat the fluid. v

Having now fully described my invention,

to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of effecting destructive distillation which consists in passing a heating medium in indirect contact with difi'er: ent parts of the material to bedistilled and reheating the medium between its several passages relative to the material.

' 2.. The method of efiecting destructive distillation which consists in successively.

passing a column of superheated steam in In testimony of which vinvention, I have indirect contact With material to be dishereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on tilled and reheating such column of superthis 27th day of February, 1907. heated steam between its several passages WHARTON B. MOLAUGHLIN.

5 relative to the material so that the tempera- Witnesses: I

ture of the steam in its several passages may M. M. HAMILTON,

be uniform. A. M. URIAN., 

